Discarded computers used to steal the owner’s identity

Christmas is a popular time for buying computers, but Sainsbury’s Bank estimates that as many as 32% of computers discarded this festive season, to make way for new ones, will not have their hard drives wiped clean or destroyed.

The bank warns that if these PCs fall into the wrong hands, criminals could use the details stored on the drives to steal the owner’s identity.

Failure to wipe the data could end up being a very stressful and costly mistake if it is used to steal your identity. Indeed the average financial value of this crime amongst those victims interviewed by Sainsbury’s Bank was claimed to be £3,039 each.

Donald MacLeod, credit card manager, Sainsbury’s Bank said: “Over the years, you can end up storing a great deal of personal information on your computer so it makes sense to wipe clean or destroy the drive before you throw it away. Identity theft is a very serious problem and it is important we all take preventative measures to avoid becoming a victim."

Sainsbury’s Bank offers PrivacyGuard to provide protection cover against identity theft. Through PrivacyGuard, Sainsbury’s Bank customers will receive regular credit reports and credit scores from one of the leading credit report agencies, enjoy ongoing monitoring of their credit status and up to £10,000 reimbursement if their identity is stolen. If you do fall victim to identity fraud, the policy will provide you with access to resolution services via PrivacyGuard’s experienced Victims of Fraud team. Customers with Sainsbury’s Bank PrivacyGuard can contact the team between 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am – 5pm on Saturdays.

The bank’s research reveals that between August and October 2006, 1.4 million people threw out computers without destroying or wiping clean their hard drives. Meanwhile research from Glamorgan University undertaken in 2006 revealed that out of 200 discarded computer hard drives, 118 were still working, of which 10% still had financial details on them.

Cleaning the history and deleting files on a computer is not sufficient as the files still exist on the hard disk. The bank offers the following tips:

Don't just delete files – sophisticated hackers can still locate these

Overwrite any unwanted data by running hard-drive wiping software

In addition to clearing your computer, shred any old bank and credit card statements before throwing them away - between August and October this year, 16% of people have thrown away old bank statements but forgotten to shred them.

Privacy Guard from Sainsbury’s Bank is available online at sainsburysbank.co.uk/idtheft

The policy costs £6.99 a month, but customers will be able to trial it for just £1 for the first 30 days.